ThisAfter spending some time in Hong Kong, I travelled down to Singapore in order to catch my premium economy flight from Singapore to London Gatwick. Apologies, the flight was a couple of weeks ago at this point, and I got caught up in commitments once I got back to the UK. However, I’d still love to share my first impressions of this flight a couple of weeks after the fact, before I share a full review in the coming months.
I’d booked a Singapore Airlines premium economy itinerary from Hong Kong to London Gatwick via Singapore, and upgraded the first segment to business class. I wanted to review the airline’s longhaul premium economy, though I’ve actually flown the Hong Kong to Singapore route in Singapore Airlines’ A380 premium economy before – additionally, I also wanted to re-review the Star Alliance lounges at Hong Kong Airport, which I’ll be doing during the full review. Flying the airline’s A380 business class would allow me to try a new cabin product which I’d had my eye on in a while.
What a flight. The airline doesn’t have the world’s best business class seat, though I found it to be much better than I was expecting (considering complaints about the seat I’ve seen online). Additionally, the airline’s soft product is just so good, especially if you pre-order your meal. This particular flight only lasted four hours, though I’d fly Singapore Airlines’ business class longhaul in a heartbeat.
Singapore Airlines’ A380 Business Class Seat: Not The Best, But Actually Pretty Good
Singapore Airlines’ A380 business class spans most of the upper deck (the very front is reserved for first class). There are two cabins – the much larger forward cabin features 50 seats, whereas the rear cabin features 28 seats.
Singapore Airlines A380 Business Class Cabin
In upright mode, these seats are so wide and spacious. Many airlines have seats that angle in a specific direction, increasing capacity and reducing seat width. While Singapore Airlines actually does the same, it doesn’t look it when you’re sitting upright, since the seat covers most of the width between the aisle and the fuselage.
Singapore Airlines A380 Business Class Seat
Uniquely, Singapore Airlines actually did away with the storage compartments you’ll typically find by the fuselage on the A380. The airline used it to maximise bed and console space. There’s not a ton of storage compartments you can open and store stuff in, though there are a few nooks and crannies that I appreciate – the literature pocket by the seat is large enough to store a laptop comfortably, and I appreciate the fact that the footwell is specifically designed so you can store a large backpack under the seat in front of you (which you can’t typically do in business class).
Singapore Airlines A380 Business Class Storage
Okay, bed mode is where people typically complain about this seat. How was that? While not the most private or spacious, I actually had no complaints. The surface feels spacious enough if you lie at an angle, and crucially, the mattress pad is very soft and comfortable. This was even provided on my short 4h flight, which I guess is a response to the complaints they’d been receiving.
Singapore Airlines A380 Business Class Bed
I’ve also got to note that even the minor details at the seat are delightful. For example, there’s some mood lighting built into the stitching in the seat. The experience just feels quite high-touch, even if the seat itself isn’t the most private or modern.
Singapore Airlines A380 Business Class Mood Lighting
I think there are better designed seats out there – the QSuite, Cathay Pacific’s A350 seat, etc. come to mind, as they have more storage space, privacy, and bed width. However, this business class seat is definitely still super comfortable, and I’d still take it any day over a “run-of-the-mill” reverse herringbone seat or staggered business class seat.
Singapore Airlines’ Business Class Food: Sublime
Singapore Airlines’ USPs have always been in good food and service, and in this case the airline delivered. I don’t fly business class as much anymore since our blog’s had a shift towards premium economy travel, though this was some of the best catering I remember having on a flight in a long time.
Dinner started with a prawn on nicoise salad. This was pretty good, though not mindblowing – the ranch dressing was served from a saucing boat.
Singapore Airlines A380 Business Class Appetiser
I was sure to take advantage of the airline’s “Book the Cook” programme, and selected a grilled beef fillet with shallot-tenderloin sauce. This was SO good. The beef fillet was cooked to perfection (as you can see below), and I also found the presentation to be good, especially with the grill marks. I ultimately prefer Singapore Airlines’ shorthaul catering presentation to Cathay Pacific’s.
Singapore Airlines A380 Business Class Main Course – Grilled Beef Tenderloin
Dessert was just simple ice cream and fruit, though the ice cream was presented nicely, at least.
Singapore Airlines A380 Business Class Dessert
How good are Singapore Airlines’ business class drinks!?
There are some airlines (Emirates and Qatar Airways come to mind) that are known for their business class drinks selection. Singapore Airlines gives them a run for their money, in my opinion. I had a few drinks on this flight, and all of them couldn’t have been any better.
Shortly after boarding the crew came around to welcome me with a beverage. While champagne was on offer, I saw that bellini was an option, which was very tasty.
Singapore Airlines A380 Business Class Bellini
Shortly after takeoff I couldn’t resist ordering a Singapore Sling. It was served in a larger glass, and was very well-mixed. I so wish the airline offered this in premium economy as well – it can’t be that incremental of a cost increase.
Singapore Airlines A380 Business Class Singapore Sling
After the meal service I figured I might as well have one more, and ordered the zestier KrisFlyer Sling, which was every bit as good.
Singapore Airlines A380 Business Class KrisFlyer Sling
The airline also serves delicious espresso-based beverages in business class, which I didn’t have this time round.
In comparison, Cathay Pacific also serves a selection of cocktails in business class. However, they just don’t compare – the serving size is much smaller, and they’re also significantly less creative, in my opinion.
I won’t dedicate a section to crew in this post, though they were spectacular as well, as you’d expect from Singapore Airlines. They were incredibly polished, addressing everyone by name, and also asked for feedback at the end of the flight.
Singapore Airlines’ A380 Entertainment and WiFi: Good (but not Amazing)
Singapore Airlines’ A380s feature their KrisWorld entertainment system. The entertainment system was quite good, and featured over 350 movies and 700 TV shows – the screen itself was quite responsive as well.
Singapore Airlines A380 Business Class Entertainment System
While WiFi was free for business class passengers (and you could even connect multiple devices), I thought that was a weak point. Singapore Airlines’ WiFi provider is still OnAir, and it’s quite slow – I found it to be slower than most inflight WiFi providers, including on their A350. Fortunately Singapore Airlines is in the process of getting Starlink, which will massively speed up their inflight WiFi connection.
Conclusion: Singapore Airlines’ A380 Business Class
My flight on Singapore Airlines featured a better-than-expected hard product, paired with a spectacular soft product. Of course there’s room for improvement in the seat (Singapore Airlines is even introducing a new business class seat next year), though bed comfort and storage at this seat were still very good. Intra-Asia flights don’t get much better than this (though admittedly my Cathay Pacific business class flight was top-notch as well, as it was operated by a plane featuring their longhaul business class seat). My only observation was the WiFi, which could’ve been a touch faster.
I’m keen to gather my thoughts on whether Singapore Airlines trumps Cathay Pacific on this route, at least when you’re flying a longhaul aircraft. Do note that Singapore Airlines’ “shorthaul” product absolutely blows Cathay Pacific’s out of the water – Singapore Airlines operates a staggered business class seat, whereas Cathay Pacific’s recliners couldn’t be more similar to a dentist’s chair.
What do you think about Singapore Airlines’ business class product?
